Dating and Politics Go Hand in Hand with OKCupid

November 8, 2018

6mo ago

By Madison Alworth

In the past, daters were advised to stay clear of politics and religion on first dates. That seems to have changed in the age of internet dating ー at least for one once-untouchable subject. According to the CMO of popular mating hub OkCupid, politics now ranks among the most important considerations for daters.

"We love this trend. It’s not even a trend, it’s actually a shift in how people are behaving," Melissa Hobley told Cheddar. "Maybe your mom told you not to talk politics or religion until date 10, and now what’s changed is, I don’t even want to go on a date with you until I know how you feel about certain issues that matter to me."

OKCupid saw a 64 percent increase in political terms on dater profiles in the past year. The online dating company decided to exploit this trend by incorporating more political queries into its questionnaire.

"We add in questions based on what’s happening in the world. And what we noticed is that your politics and what you care about is mattering a lot. And we leaned into that in a big way," Hobley said.

A major political point of interest for dates? The midterm elections.

"We added more and more questions about the midterms. Questions like ‘would you date someone who didn’t vote?’ And the responses we saw are unprecedented, and we’ve been around 15 years so we know," she said. "Young women in particular are not interested in dating you unless you are exercising your right to vote.”

According to the users polled, 58 percent of millennial women on OKCupid said that a partner exercising his or her right to vote is more attractive than exercising. In fact, for nearly half, it was a deal-breaker. 46 percent of millennial women said they wouldn't date someone if they didn't vote.

"The sexiest person of the year is a voter. Voting is sexy," Hobley said.